What Does Thunder Wave Not Affect? A Comprehensive Guide
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Thunder Wave, an iconic Electric-type status move, is a staple in many Pokémon trainers’ arsenals. Its ability to paralyze opposing Pokémon and drastically reduce their Speed makes it a powerful tool. However, Thunder Wave isn’t universally effective. Several factors can render this move useless, leading to frustration for the unprepared trainer. This article provides a deep dive into what Thunder Wave cannot affect, followed by frequently asked questions to solidify your understanding.
The most direct answer to the question, “What does Thunder Wave not affect?” can be summarized as follows:
- Ground-type Pokémon: Due to their inherent nature, Ground-type Pokémon are completely immune to Electric-type attacks, including Thunder Wave.
- Pokémon with the Ability Lightning Rod: This ability draws Electric-type moves to the Pokémon, granting them immunity to Electric attacks, including the paralyzing effect of Thunder Wave. It also raises the Pokemon’s Special Attack.
- Pokémon with the Ability Volt Absorb or Motor Drive: These abilities make the Pokémon immune to Electric-type attacks while providing healing or a Speed boost, respectively.
- Pokémon with the Ability Good as Gold: This ability makes a Pokémon immune to status moves, including Thunder Wave.
Understanding these core immunities is crucial to strategically using Thunder Wave in battles. But the nuances extend beyond these basic protections. Let’s delve deeper into these and other factors.
Thunder Wave and Type Interactions
The Ground-Type Immunity
The most fundamental immunity to Thunder Wave lies with Ground-type Pokémon. This is not a quirk of Thunder Wave itself but a core tenet of the Pokémon type system. Electric-type moves have absolutely no effect on Ground-types, making Thunder Wave a wasted turn if used against them. Popular Ground-types like Garchomp, Groudon, and many others are entirely safe from paralysis caused by this move.
Type Changes and Thunder Wave
It’s also important to remember that changes in a Pokémon’s type can affect Thunder Wave’s effectiveness. Abilities like Normalize, which make all moves Normal-type, would render Thunder Wave ineffective against Ghost-type Pokémon since they are immune to Normal-type moves. This adds a layer of complexity and necessitates a good understanding of all potential type interactions.
Abilities That Grant Immunity
Lightning Rod: More Than Just Attraction
Lightning Rod isn’t just a way to redirect Electric-type attacks. It also grants complete immunity to Electric-type damage and status effects, including the paralysis from Thunder Wave. When a Pokémon with Lightning Rod is hit by Thunder Wave, it will not be paralyzed. Instead, their Special Attack stat is boosted by one stage.
Volt Absorb & Motor Drive: Absorbing and Speeding Up
Pokémon with abilities like Volt Absorb or Motor Drive are also immune to Thunder Wave. Volt Absorb will heal the Pokémon when hit by an electric attack, while Motor Drive will raise the Pokemon’s Speed. While not explicitly granting immunity, abilities that convert Electric-type damage into a different benefit render the original paralysis effect of Thunder Wave entirely moot.
Good as Gold: A Shield Against Status
Good as Gold, a unique ability possessed by Gholdengo, makes the Pokémon completely immune to all status moves. Therefore, it makes Gholdengo immune to Thunder Wave.
Special Interactions with Thunder Wave
Prankster and Dark Types
Moves with increased priority due to the Prankster ability cannot directly target a Dark-type Pokémon. This means a Thunder Wave boosted by Prankster will fail against a Dark-type. However, moves that don’t directly target a Pokémon, such as setting up weather, are not affected by this restriction.
Thunder Wave vs. Volt Absorb: A Generational Difference
The interaction between Thunder Wave and Volt Absorb changed between generations. In Gen III, Thunder Wave would paralyze a Pokémon with Volt Absorb, and then the ability would trigger, healing the Pokémon. However, in Gen IV and beyond, Thunder Wave will not paralyze a Pokémon with Volt Absorb; the ability still triggers, but the move fails to inflict paralysis.
Environmental Factors
Psychic Terrain
The presence of Psychic Terrain on the field also affects Thunder Wave indirectly. Moves with increased priority from the Prankster ability will not work on grounded Pokémon if Psychic Terrain is active, although this does not explicitly make Thunder Wave ineffective, it negates the increased priority.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can Thunder Wave paralyze Electric-type Pokémon?
No, Electric-type Pokémon are immune to paralysis. This means they cannot be affected by Thunder Wave, in addition to other moves that would inflict paralysis.
2. Does Thunder Wave do any damage?
No, Thunder Wave does not do any damage. It’s purely a status move designed to inflict paralysis. It does no damage at all.
3. Can you use Thunder Wave on a Garchomp?
No, you cannot paralyze a Garchomp with Thunder Wave. Garchomp is part Ground-type, which makes it immune to Electric-type moves like Thunder Wave.
4. Is Groudon immune to Thunder Wave?
Yes, Groudon, as a Ground-type Pokémon, is immune to Thunder Wave.
5. Can Thunder Wave be redirected by the Lightning Rod ability?
Yes, the Lightning Rod ability will redirect Electric-type attacks to the Pokémon that has the ability, making the original target immune to the move and boosting the Special Attack of the Pokemon with the ability.
6. Does Thunder Wave have a high accuracy?
Yes, Thunder Wave has a very high accuracy, making it a reliable move for inflicting paralysis. However, even with its high accuracy, it won’t work against immune types or abilities.
7. Is Thunder Wave a good move in Pokémon battles?
Yes, Thunder Wave is a very powerful move in Pokémon battles because it can cripple fast opponents, drastically reducing their speed, which is a crucial tactic for many strategies.
8. Can Pokémon with the Volt Absorb ability be paralyzed by Thunder Wave?
No, in Gen IV and later, Pokémon with Volt Absorb cannot be paralyzed by Thunder Wave. The ability will activate, but it will not inflict paralysis.
9. Does Prankster Thunder Wave work on Dark-types?
No, Prankster boosted moves cannot directly target Dark-type Pokémon. This means a Prankster Thunder Wave will fail against a Dark-type.
10. Does Psychic Terrain prevent Thunder Wave from working?
No, but if Thunder Wave is boosted by Prankster, Psychic Terrain will block the boosted priority if the target is grounded.
11. What other abilities cause immunity to Electric-type attacks?
Besides Lightning Rod and Volt Absorb, other notable abilities include Motor Drive, which boosts speed when hit by an electric move, and Good as Gold, which grants immunity to all status moves, including Thunder Wave.
12. Is Thunder Wave better than Shock Wave?
These moves serve different purposes. Thunder Wave is a status move that inflicts paralysis, while Shock Wave is a damage-dealing move that never misses. Choosing between the two depends on your specific strategy.
13. What are the common ways to use Thunder Wave?
Thunder Wave is commonly used to cripple fast Pokémon, making it easier for slower Pokémon to outspeed and attack, and it is a staple move for setting up defensive strategies.
14. Does Thunder Wave affect Shedinja?
Yes, Thunder Wave can affect Shedinja, it’s only special ability is that it only takes damage from super-effective hits. Status moves such as Thunder Wave work as intended on the Pokemon.
15. Can status effects on Pokemon change over time?
Yes, status effects on Pokemon can be healed over time or with specific moves or items. For example, Paralysis can be healed by a Lum Berry, or by switching out the Pokemon.
In conclusion, while Thunder Wave is a formidable move with significant battle implications, it is not without its limitations. Understanding its immunities is paramount for effective Pokémon battling. By keeping these considerations in mind, you’ll be better equipped to use Thunder Wave to its fullest potential, avoiding wasted turns and maximizing your chances of victory.